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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2010-11-23 Daily Xml
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JOHN HARTLEY SCHOOL

Mr PICCOLO (Light) (14:44): My question is to the Minister for Education. Will the minister update the house on the government's program to build six new schools across the Adelaide and metropolitan area?

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL (Cheltenham—Minister for Education, Minister for Early Childhood Development) (14:44): I thank the honourable member for his question and also acknowledge his very powerful advocacy for public education on behalf of his community. As members would know, the government is building six state-of-the-art new schools under the $200 million Education Works 1 initiative.

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure, with some students down at the Adelaide West Special Education Centre, to open that school for 60 places for students with special needs, right next door to the Ocean View College at Taperoo. Four more schools will open their facilities next year, but I am pleased to be able to report today that yesterday, along with the member for Light, we had the great privilege of touring the latest school that was offered, the second of the six new schools, the John Hartley School at Smithfield Plains.

There could not be a more important place to build a new school within South Australia. This set of suburbs represents some of the most disadvantaged communities within our community and, indeed, across the nation; to have a new state-of-the-art school built right in their suburb is a fantastic achievement.

I would like to thank the John Hartley School community on behalf of this government for its hard work in making this project a reality. Cathy Lee, Governing Council chair, showed the foresight to choose the range of other schools and kindergartens that came together to form this school. They could see what the future held in a new school for their community. They made that brave decision. It is always a difficult decision to leave other schools behind and form a new school. They did that and now everybody is happy with the result. My thanks also go to the former minister for education, Dr Jane Lomax-Smith, who also worked with the school communities in these vital early stages of the project.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: The new John Hartley School will cater for children from birth to year 7 and will be arranged in a series of three separate schools, three schools within a school, if you please: the preschool children's centre component, the primary school component and the middle years component. This school has brought together children and families from six kindergartens and schools in the Davoren Park and Smithfield Plains area on a purpose-built site.

Students and teachers at the school now have access to some incredible new technology. We saw interactive whiteboards, a great new drama space, a purpose-built science facility—which is unusual in a primary school, but there is a purpose-built science facility there—a large new school hall, kitchen and garden facilities, and fantastic new learning areas.

Ecological principles have been used in the design of the buildings. The learning areas are incredibly green, with natural ventilation, skylights and water harvesting, as well as rainwater tanks for use there. I am happy to report that Cathy Lee's view of this project—that is, that the whole school community is behind it—was borne out when we visited the facility. They are certainly excited about the new features, and the students were very excited to be there.

We also had the opportunity to be shown by some of the students some DVDs that were made focusing on the process of building the school. The students were actually involved in visiting the school while the building works were underway, and that was part of the learning process. They have produced a couple of very impressive DVDs which describe the building process and also explain the environmentally sustainable features of these new schools.

For parents, there is a great message: their kids living in these suburbs matter and we are prepared to invest in them. For teachers, it is also an expression of support for them, that in these most challenging schools, we are prepared to back them up with resources.

I must say that it is disappointing that there is one person who is out on his lonesome on this, and that is the shadow minister for education. He is there saying that no-one wants to go to these new schools. Well, that is not what we saw when we visited these communities. These communities are strongly in support of these schools.

What is worse is that it is an insult to the parents who made these decisions to come together and bring these schools together to form this new school community. I must say that I get a little tired of the way in which the shadow minister talks down public education at every opportunity he gets. He talks down these new schools, and he makes up things about lack of enrolments in these new schools.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order! Point of order.

Mr WILLIAMS: Madam Speaker, the minister is clearly debating the answer to the question now.

The SPEAKER: It is nearly time that you rounded up your answer, minister.

The Hon. J.W. WEATHERILL: Thank you. This fantastic new school represents the commitment of this government to public education.

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

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